Christology Wiki Questions
1. PLease choose one name from each of the categories of titles applied to Christ. Explain the nam ein your own words as well as its signigicance to ur understanding of Jesus and His work. '''Messiaship - "Jesus". Jesus which means Savior in my opinion is one of the most important names. This was the name that was given to Him. This is the name that describes His ultimate purpose on the earth and that is to save all of mankind. Sonship - "Only Begotten Son". This is probably one of the very important names for Jesus. Jesus had to be the only begotten Son because when we as humans become Chirstians we become God's adopted sons and daughters. This is why it was vital that Jesus was called the only "begotten" Son. Monarchial Titles - "Lord of All". This name is important and means that Jesus is Lord over everything. This to me means that He knows and sees everything. And that nothing is new to Him. Occupational Titles - "Creator&Word". This name shows Christ in creation. Jesus is the spoken word and God spoke the Words in order to create heaven and earth. Items - "Everlasting Rock and Living Stone". This name shows that Jesus is everlasting and that He is still living today. Apocalyptic Titles - "The First and Last, the One who Died and Came to Life". This name shows two aspects of Jesus. That He was, is, and will always be. And that He cannot be defeated by death or any other sceam of man. The Great I Am - "I AM the Alpha and Omega". Like I had previosly stated, this name shows that Jesus was here from the beginning and will always be. '''2. Which name do you consider most significant? Which is your favorite? '''Like I had previously stated, I bliev that "Jesus" is the most significant name. This was the name given to Him. This is the name that describes His ultimate purpose on the earth and that is to save all of mankind. My favorite name is "Emmanuel". It is my favorite because it is just a beautiful name. It also gives me comfort because this name is continuous in the sense that God is still with us. '''3. Why must Jesus have a dual nature? Must He have been both God and human? '''The dual nature was necessitated in that as redeemer, Jesus had to be fully God that He would be free of a sin nature as well as able to withstand the infinite judgmenet of his Father for the sins of man. Yet, Jesus had to be fully man to be able to identify with us as our Covenant Mediator and to die, shedding his blood as an atoning sacrifice. If either Jesus' Godhead or his manhood is comprimised, there is no longer any from of redemption for mankind. '''7. What are the "Three States of Christ?" Briefly explain each. The three states of Christ are the pre-incarnate state, the state of humiliation, and state of exaltation. The pre-incarnate state is before Jesus came to earth in the flesh. Of course Christ had no beginning, so it was during this state that the earth was created and in which He existed during the Old Testament. He assumed the form of the Angel of Yahweh , was instrumental in creation, and played an active role in the universe. The State of Humiliation began with Christ subjecting Himself to the limitations of man and culminated with His death and burial. It was during this time that He met the requirements to atone for our sin. Finally, the state of exaltation began when Jesus was resurrected from the dead. He will one day return in this exalted state. 8. What is the Atonement? What are the 11 required elements to a comprehensive theory on the atonement? Atonement is the restoration of a relationship that has been broken. Christ's death on the cross covered our sin thereby atoning for us so that we might once again have a relationship with God. The eleven required elements to a comprehensive theory on atonement are the following: atonement is the task of the Son, satisfaction is made to God, a ransom payment is made, the atonement is a sacrifice, the atonement is expiatory and propitiatory, it requires passive and active obedience of the Messiah, it is a substitution, it has a vicarious nature, it imputes righteousness, it is received by faith, and it destroys the power of the devil and sin and death. '''9. What do we mean by the extent of the atonement? Which of the three positions do you think the Bible teaches? '''The extent of the atonement refers to "for whom did Christ die?" There are three views: universal, meaning Jesus atoned for everyone; roman catholic, meaning Jesus died for anyone who complies with the requirements of the church (is a church member, etc.); and limited, meaning Jesus' atonement was for a specific group (the elect) chosen from the beginning of time. I lean more towards a view of limited atonement, but I look at it in a slightly different way then how it is worded in this context. God knew from the foundation of the world who would go to heaven and who would go to hell. It is not a surprise to Him. His death could cover anyone; however, it will only cover those who believe. And those who believe are those God chose from the foundation of the world. God is indeed sovereign, but His atonement is not limited. He could save anyone. His sacrifice was sufficient to cover the entire world if they were all to believe. However, only those whose eyes God opens will believe. When I read verses such as John 3:16 ("For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." NKJV) this reasoning seems to make sense. After all, anyone who believes in Him shall be saved. But, those who believe will be those He has chosen, and this coincides with verses such as Ephesians 1:4-5 ("just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will" NKJV). I may not be right, but this interpretation seems to make sense to me.